Hounded (Iron Druid Chronicles, #1)

Feb 13, 2013 mark monday rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: secret-histories, rain-man-reviews

The Learning Annex presents a three-session workshop:

HOW TO WRITE URBAN FANTASY IN 3 EASY STEPS!

Session 1: Uncover Your Inner Shallow Self And Flaunt It

Why waste time putting energy towards creating depth? Readers are not looking for intangibles, they are looking for escape! Depth often makes them feel out of their depth so why not create some positive impact. Research your mythology of choice, then surround that central mythology with as many other mythologies and fantasy figures as you possibl...more

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May 14, 2011 Rane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Rane by: Sans

Shelves: keeper, urban-fantasy, true-gem-keepers

A few moons ago, I use to read PNR/UF books like I breathe air, and ate them like potato chips. Then the treads started up with many authors pretty much doing the same thing over and over again. Walking back to the genres has been (so far) very good with the help of many of my GR friend’s reviews; I’ve had a lot of luck with PNR and Romantic UFs, but haven’t had the true courage to try my hand at a UF until Hounded. Hounded is a book that made me remember why I loved and miss the genre so much!...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Kat Kennedy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kat-s-book-reviews

If Joss Whedon and Jim Butcher had a love child that would one day grow up and write a novel - this would be the novel he wrote.

PLUS

EQUALS

Now would be the time to admit the truth about your parents, Hearne! ADMIT IT!

For the most part, Hounded is a delightful, action-packed urban fantasy novel with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, interesting characters and witty banter.

It's not a perfect novel. The main protagonist, Atticus, a 2100 year old druid living in Tempe, Arizona is a fantastic characte...more

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May 03, 2011 Lesley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I’m kind of torn on this one. On the one hand, it was fast paced, exciting, fun, and humorous. On the other hand, it’s a little muddled, has a couple of plot holes, and is occasionally silly to the point of being cheesy. I enjoyed it, but I honestly don’t know whether I would recommend it to someone else. So here is what I liked and what I didn’t - you decide.

Hounded has an interesting premise - a 2,100 year old Druid, along with the Celtic god of death, a magic sword, a pack of werewolves, and...more I’m kind of torn on this one. On the one hand, it was fast paced, exciting, fun, and humorous. On the other hand, it’s a little muddled, has a couple of plot holes, and is occasionally silly to the point of being cheesy. I enjoyed it, but I honestly don’t know whether I would recommend it to someone else. So here is what I liked and what I didn’t - you decide.

Hounded has an interesting premise - a 2,100 year old Druid, along with the Celtic god of death, a magic sword, a pack of werewolves, and a witch, face down the villainous Celtic god of love. Sounds fun, right? It is certainly is a fun read, with enough action to move the plot along at a fast clip. My first problem, though, was with the mythology. It’s cool that Atticus is a Druid and gets to use his awesome Druid powers to fight bad guys, and I also like how random Celtic gods keep showing up to mess with him. But this story doesn’t just embrace Irish mythology - it tries to encompass every mythology. That’s right, every god and monster known to man is real, including Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Allah, Thor, vampires, ghouls, and so on. While this premise provides the potential for all kinds of craziness and trouble to ensue, it also muddies the waters a bit too much in my opinion. It feels like the author is trying to do everything and the story could easily get out hand with all these supernatural figures running around. Perhaps it would have been cleaner and more plausible if it had just focused on Celtic mythology and left the rest alone.

Despite the muddled world building, the plot was pretty good. The identity of the villain is no secret, but the loyalties of the various gods and witches are never certain. Almost everyone has ulterior motives, and it’s not easy to figure out who’s trustworthy and who’s not. That being said, there were a couple of tiny plot holes that really bugged me. You’ll recognize them when you find yourself thinking, “That... doesn’t make sense.”

The characters are likable, if not realistic. Atticus acts like he’s fifteen at times, but he’s a hero you can root for. My favorite character by far is Atticus’ Irish wolfhound, Oberon. He’s funny and adorable, and he’s largely responsible for why I like Atticus. The Celtic gods are also intriguing, and several of them have the hots for Atticus. It’s not sexy so much as it’s silly and amusing, but it doesn’t reach the level of cheesy that is the character Mrs. MacDonagh, the elderly, Irish widow that lives in Atticus’ neighborhood. I think she’s supposed to provide comic relief, but her antics and attitudes border on the ridiculous. No one would act the way she does, making her character little more than a cartoon. Some of the other supporting characters are thin as well, but that’s to be expected in a first installment when the cast is just starting to be introduced.

Regardless of its deficiencies, Hounded gets major points for making me laugh out loud. Atticus has some pretty cheesy one-liners, but other parts are truly hilarious. For example, I was cracking up as I read the paragraph where Atticus explains how he is able to cry on cue. (I won’t spoil it.) Oberon’s obsession with Genghis Khan and French poodles also gave me some genuine laughs.

Overall, Hounded is funny and entertaining, an enjoyable read despite the problems I have with the overambitious mythology, the plot holes, and the cheesy characters. It’s a decent debut with plenty of room for improvement as the series progresses. I might pick up the next book, Hexed, when I feel in the mood for some light reading and a few laughs.

(Note: This is a review of the advance reader’s edition of Hounded. Changes may have been made before it went to press.)(less)

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May 19, 2012 Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult

Manchee fans (of Chaos Walking) - you will love Oberon!

Review for the males :

Atticus is a guy's guy. He's got a dry sense of humor, doesn't spew pretty language for the sake of having to impress anyone, and spends a good portion of his time communicating with man's best friend - yep, a dog. A very intelligent dog who happens to be loyal and helpful in a pinch, but would rather be eating sausages and banging french poodles.

Oh yeah, and this Atticus guy carries a big sword. And works some badass...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of male UF

Shelves: action, fantasy, male-lead, my-library, urban-fantasy

Enjoyable, engrossing read. Definite fun. Atticus is the first praciticing druid I've read about in a long while, and it's nice to have a new take on magic in the urban fantasy line. In fact, all sorts of immortals and deities seem to be present, particularly from Celtic and Norse mythologies. They actually behave a lot like the stereotypes of gods from mythology (at least in the Greek myths I read), which is to say, manipulative, egotistical and randy. Hearne does a nice job of balancing their...more

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Oct 14, 2011 Wendy F rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, fae, urban-fantasy, vampires, witches, werewolves

Awesome start to what I think will be a very fun series.

Atticus somehow walks the line between being a pervy smart ass modern dude, and a 2000 year old wise druid. Sometimes his speech smacks of olde tyme phrases and in the next he's making gaming jokes. In short, he's written with awesome realism. You can't help but think he's cute.

Then you add to his character a host of funny and hilarious ensemble characters, the star of which is Atticus's Mans Best Friend the canine Oberon. Picture a large I...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Enjee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: goodreads-first-reads

I received an early copy of this book as part of the Goodreads firstreads program.
I loved this book. It is one of the best I have read this year, and I am happy the next two in the series are following this summer. I will definitely be reading them.
Atticus is a 2100 year old Druid, kept alive so long by means you will learn in the book. He makes his living owning an occult bookstore and apothecary. He has been hounded for centuries by a god who wants the sword Atticus picked up in an ancient ba...more

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Dec 19, 2011 Angelic Zaizai rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-read, fantasy, ghost-djinn-witch-fairy-immortal-de, non-terjemahan

Urban fantasi - pure, ga pake (atau belum?) cinta-cintaan, pengarangnya cowok, tokoh utamanya cowok

Karena Druid - berarti dari Irlandia, dewa-dewa celtic, dengan nama
yang bikin pusing hehehe

sang Druid sakti itu berumur 2100 tahun bertampang pemuda 21 tahun,
namanya Siodhachan Ó Suileabháin (bacanya susye paan) - atau Atticus Sullivan, sudah kabur ribuan tahun dari kejaran Aenghus Óg - dewa cinta (hee aneh pan?) karena Atticus dianggap membawa lari pedang sakti Fragarach.
karena dewa-dewi biasa...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Colleen McGlashen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: druids, don-t-die-before-you-read-this, oh-gods

This book is refreshingly different and well written. It follows a 2000 year old Druid (Atticus O'Sullivan) who lives in the present day as an owner of a herb and rare book shop. However, like any 2000 year old druid would, Attiticus has enemies who would really like to see him dead. Fortunately, Atticus had picked up some friends along the way (i.e., gods, wolves and a vampire)who will help him with his enemies.

I was a little worried when starting this book that I would be bogged down with bac...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Jim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-urban

I hope the next book will be better. I've heard rave reviews of this series & read a short story prelude to it. Not bad, although this one spent a lot of time on the back story. It wasn't terrible, but certainly not elegantly done. It was fun & I'm going to read the next book, so that says a lot.

It's pretty typical urban fantasy, but with different critters than are normal. Lots of Celtic stuff in this one & the next, Hexed, should have Norse gods in it if the broad hints in the firs...more

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Sep 02, 2012 Lisa Kay rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Lisa Kay by: Sans, KarenF

Shelves: m-library-sj-audio-oda, genre-urban-fantasy, its-magic, authors-k, authors-h, 2012-in-2012-group-challenge, character-witch-warlock-wizard, xyzcover-tattoo, xyzcover-weapon, animal-dog-in-story, setting-usa-arizona, genre-shapeshifters, character-fae-fairies, zzcover-brown, vocation-bookstore-owner-restorer, reviewed-by-me

Oberon

★★★★½ (This is a review of the audiobook.) I’ve never read anything by Kevin Hearne before, and I’ve never listened to Luke Daniels narrate, either. But I definitely will again! So glad I chose to listen to this one, as the pronunciation of Druid and other ancient dialects would have totally tongue-tied my mind. Even with the nicely provided “Irish Pronunciation Guide” in the front to the eBook. I couldn’t begin to attempt saying Aenghus Óg or Tuatha Dé Danann in my head, let alone out lo...more Oberon

★★★★½ (This is a review of the audiobook.) I’ve never read anything by Kevin Hearne before, and I’ve never listened to Luke Daniels narrate, either. But I definitely will again! So glad I chose to listen to this one, as the pronunciation of Druid and other ancient dialects would have totally tongue-tied my mind. Even with the nicely provided “Irish Pronunciation Guide” in the front to the eBook. I couldn’t begin to attempt saying Aenghus Óg or Tuatha Dé Danann in my head, let alone out loud.

Mr. Daniels does an excellent job of them all, as well as differentiating the characters; subsequently, I was completely drawn into Mr. Hearne’s world, where I think I would have been distracted with the correct pronunciation, otherwise. He even does a good job on the female voices; no small feat for a male reader. This one is in first person POV and Mr. Daniels coveys the cleverness, wit, cynicism, charm, and just plan sassiness of Atticus O’Sullivan, the tattooed proprietor of an occult bookshop – and part-time apothecary – in Tempe, Arizona. And his voice for Oberon is a hoot! He sounds like the lovable doofus he is; which is fine, since he is an Irish Wolfhound. (view spoiler)

There are tons of supernatural beings (Fae, witches, lupines, gods, goddesses, vampires, demons, angels, ghouls, etc.) in the first installment of The Iron Druid Chronicles, and almost all of them want Atticus’ magic sword “Fragarach, the Answerer.” The most significant of these is one pissed-off dark god named Aenghus Óg. Atticus, himself, is a shape-shifter and gets his power from the earth. I loved the description of how his energy travels though his tattoos.

Hounded is rich in details without being weighed down by too much world building, like so many first in series novels. Just the right amount of time spent on Celtic mythology – and other pantheons – mixed with mystery, action-adventure, and character-interactions to keep it wondrously interesting. It is a little more violent that I like my books, but I knew that going in. This is a fast-paced read with a witty narrative that I had to re-wind to catch some things, saying to myself, “Did he say what I think he did?”

However, most of all it is fun!

I’ll certainly have to read the prequel short-stories (free on the author’s website) and track down the novella.

(less)

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Mar 12, 2012 Kathryn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-in-a-serie, pnr-urban-fantasy, books-i-own, read-2012, male-pov

Clap! Clap! Clap!
Finally a book that I can praise for the first time this year!

Not only was this book humorous and witty, but also action packed and informative!
No matter how untrue that information might be.

Atticus, the Irish Druid, last of his kind, clearly is the main character in this book.
But nobody in this book brought the laughter like Oberon, the wolfhound.
With treacherous witches, fire fuming demons, powerful goddesses, and deceitful plans that will make your head spin, this book i...more

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Jun 17, 2011 Gwyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I picked up this book because it was well recommended on the Karen Chance group, and several members said Atticus was a lot like my beloved Pritkin. Unfortunately, I found the two characters to be nothing alike, and the book not as good as I expected. Nonetheless, it's an enjoyable book that compelled me to read it all one sitting.

A minor but frustrating issue Hounded has is a distinct lack of contractions, leading to slightly stilted conversations. A bigger issue is the seeming invincibility of...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Merve Özcan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, immortal, vampire, assassin, faerie, godish, magic, murder, mythology, tough-male-lead, were, witch

http://kitabisevda.blogspot.com/2012/...

İş Urban fantasy'e gelince bir dur demek lazım, çok severim. Beni çeken yönü genellikle karakterler kendi yollarını çizmişdir ve -elbette kitap boyunca bu kişiler olgunlaşıyor ama başlangıçta zaten yarı yolunda giden hayatları, gerekli bağlantıları vardır- kendi güçleri vardır. Onları kovalayan problemlere bir çare düşünebilmektedirler. Bu benim için büyük bir artı çünkü zengin karakterleri çok seviyorum.

Hounded'da işte böyle bir karakter vardı. Normalde U...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Kat Hooper rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Atticus O’Sullivan is an ancient shapeshifting druid. For a couple thousand years he’s been hiding from Aenghus Óg, the god who used to own the famous sword Fragarach until Atticus relieved him of it on an ancient battlefield. Now Aenghus has some plans to advance himself among the Tuatha Dé Danann and he wants his sword back.

Atticus is now a 21-year-old (it seems) bookshop owner in Tempe, Arizona, near Arizona State University. He sells occult paraphernal...more ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Atticus O’Sullivan is an ancient shapeshifting druid. For a couple thousand years he’s been hiding from Aenghus Óg, the god who used to own the famous sword Fragarach until Atticus relieved him of it on an ancient battlefield. Now Aenghus has some plans to advance himself among the Tuatha Dé Danann and he wants his sword back.

Atticus is now a 21-year-old (it seems) bookshop owner in Tempe, Arizona, near Arizona State University. He sells occult paraphernalia and brews special herbal teas (such as Mobili-Tea and Humili-Tea) for his customers. He’s got a nosey neighbor across the street and a nice Irish widow a few houses down (well, she’s nice as long as you’re not English!). He also has a blood-sucking lawyer. Literally. That’s because the Tempe area attracts lots of paranormals. Some of them are helpful to Atticus, but others are definitely not.

I don’t read a lot of paranormal urban fantasy, just because so much of it features snarky women with chips on their shoulders and the sarcastic humor usually doesn’t appeal to me. I’ve found that I’m more likely to enjoy paranormal works which have male leads, so that’s why I gave Hounded a try.

Atticus O’Sullivan is an excellent male lead — he’s strong but sensitive. He mows the widow’s lawn and cares for his employees, but he kicks ass when he needs to. Kevin Hearne nearly crosses the border into too-good-to-be-true, but he just manages not to step over that line. Hearne’s other characters are terrific, too. I laughed at the vampire lawyer who drives a hot sports car and wears expensive suits, but can’t manage to update his language. I also appreciated that Hearne shows us that as much as we like to say we hate lawyers, they can be really useful sometimes!

My favorite character, though, was Atticus’s dog Oberon who can mind-speak with Atticus. Oberon is the comedic sidekick, providing most of the humor. Only Atticus can hear him, so his comments are often inserted amongst dialogue that Atticus is having with other characters, and this is very funny. Since Oberon watches lots of movies, many of his interruptions are quotes from movies or reminders to Atticus of how what’s happening now is similar to a movie scene. This is especially endearing to SF fans because Oberon loves Star Wars and Star Trek. Oberon always seems to have a current obsession, too. In Hounded, he wants to be Genghis Khan and keeps questioning Atticus about Genghis Khan’s habits, such as did he take his coffee black? (Fortunately, Oberon’s Liberace phase happened before the events of Hounded.)

Oberon is especially effective in the audio version I listened to, narrated by Luke Daniels. This is partly because there are rarely any dialog tags for Oberon (his interruptions are set apart by <> in the text) and partly because Mr. Daniels makes Oberon actually sound like a big dog. So, when the book is read aloud, the lack of “Oberon said” really makes it sound like Oberon is making comments in the background.

Besides the characters, I loved the mix of the modern with ancient mythologies in Hounded. Kevin Hearne’s contemporary setting near ASU is completely convincing (someday I’ve got to stop for fish and chips at Rúla Búla), but so are the ancient and mythological aspects of the novel.

Hounded was a great read — a wonderful hero with the perfect sidekick, colorful secondary characters, and just the right sense of humor. I’ll be immediately starting the next novel in the Iron Druid Chronicles, Hexed. (less)

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Aug 28, 2012 Kacennnka rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, books-i-own, read-in-czech, favorites

Atticus O'Sullivan se vydává za jednadvacetiletého vysokoškoláka, co vlastní malé okultní knihkupectví s lékárnou, ve volných chvílích se stará o trávník staré vdovy a nadevše miluje svého irského vlkodava. Ale realita je někde trochu jinde. Za jeho image obyčejného a potetovaného Ira se schovává pořádně mocný druid se zkušenostmi nasbíranými za dvacet jedna století a mečem Fragrachem, který už dobré dva tisíce let chce nejeden bůh. Po dlouhých staletích utíkání to ale Atticus vzdává. Už nemá ná...more Atticus O'Sullivan se vydává za jednadvacetiletého vysokoškoláka, co vlastní malé okultní knihkupectví s lékárnou, ve volných chvílích se stará o trávník staré vdovy a nadevše miluje svého irského vlkodava. Ale realita je někde trochu jinde. Za jeho image obyčejného a potetovaného Ira se schovává pořádně mocný druid se zkušenostmi nasbíranými za dvacet jedna století a mečem Fragrachem, který už dobré dva tisíce let chce nejeden bůh. Po dlouhých staletích utíkání to ale Atticus vzdává. Už nemá náladu utíkat před Aengusem Ógem, keltským bohem lásky, a tak se připravuje na důležitý boj, jehož výsledek ovlivní nejen jeho život, ale celou existenci Tír na nÓg.

Kevin Hearne svůj příběh vystavěl na současném světě, břitkém humoru a keltských bozích v čele se sympatickým hrdinou v podobě druida. Rovnou přiznávám, že toho nadpřirozena je tam opravdu hodně. Hned na začátku příběhu se setkáváme s druidem, elementálem, keltskou bohyní smrti a čarodějnicemi - ale to je jen slabý odvar. Kromě řady všelijakého božstva, ať už keltského, severského v čele s Thórem, či Panny Marie nebo Buddhy, se budeme pohybovat v blízkosti vlkodlaků, upírů, démonů a dalších stvoření, na něž si nedokážu vzpomenout. Nicméně nadpřirozená stvoření nejsou tím, co by vás v knize mohlo rušit.

Hned od začátku na nás autor vybalil spoustu jmen, ještě ke všemu irských a pekelně krkolomných (pravé jméno Attica za boha nedokážu vyslovit!), a mluvil tak, jako by počítal s tím, že čtenář má do puntíku nastudovanou mytologii a navíc hodiny irštiny. Na začátku knihy jsem opravdu měla problém se v knize zorientovat. Jména se na stále nabalovala a navíc tam byla zmíněna jména i těch postav, které v knize vůbec nevystupují. S postupem času ale tenhle problém úplně zmizel a já si knihy užívala plnými doušky.

Akce se v knize dočkáme opravdu hodně. Hned na prvních stranách se setkáme s bojem, který je pouhým odvarem toho, co nás čeká v budoucnu. Bojových scén je tam víc než dost a jsou opravdu propracované. Velkým plusem je, že autor z Attica neuděl nezničitelného superhrdinu a několikrát mu šlo o život. V těch klidnějších scénách se na druhou stranu setkáváme s vtipnými dialogy, které celou knihu odlehčí a dodají jí na čtivosti.

Atticus je příjemným a sympatickým hrdinou. Je to ten typ člověka, kterého všichni znají, ale přesto nemá opravdové přátele. Atticus je vtipný, ironický, přátelský, chytrý, prohnaný a vypočítavý. A taky mocný. Atticus mi nijak k srdci nepřirostl. Ne, že by byl hrdinou špatným. Byl to spíš jen kluk od vedle, kterého vídám každý den, ale nijak ho neznám.

Postavou, kterou jsem si opravdu oblíbila, byl jeho pes Oberon. Asi si říkáte, že je to zvláštní, protože je to jen pes, ale to není pravda. Atticus naučil Oberana mluvit a telepaticky se spolu mohou bavit. A právě mělkost a ztřeštěnost Oberonova charakteru mě na knize tolik bavila.

Svůj imaginární klobouk musím smeknout hlavně před celým nakladatelstvím, korektory a překladatelem Romanem Tilcerem. S takhle dobrým překladem jsem se hodně dlouho nesetkala. Skoro nic mě nerušilo a četlo se to v podstatě samo. Hlavní bylo, že v textu nebyly zbytečné chyby a já narazila snad na jeden jediný překlep, a to je už co říct. Navíc je vidět, že si s tím překladatel opravdu pohrál. Nevím, jak to vypadá v originále, ale v našem překladu má každá postava určitý způsob, jakým mluví. Atticus mluví převážně spisovně, ale jiné postavy mluví různě nespisovně a určitě by bylo možné je podle přímé řeči identifikovat.

Prohnaný je opravdu povedenou urban fantasy z Arizony. Zápletka je sice jasná od začátku, ale to na napínavosti neubírá. Kniha je nabytá akci, humorem a dramatičností a určitě ví, jak si udržet pozornost. Postavy jsou rozmanité a každá úplně jiná se svými vlastními úmysly. Atticus je příjemným hrdinou, který mi ani v nejmenším nevadil a mně nezbývá než čekat na další díly, abych jeho osudy mohla dál sledovat.

Mrzí mě jen to, že jsem nedostala odpověď na jednu moc zajímavou otázku: Potkal se Atticus s Asterixem a Obelixem? :D

Tuhle knihu rozhodně doporučuju!(less)

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Oct 18, 2011 Amy or "Ames" rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, male-authors, 1st-in-series, library-books, read-in-2011, series-abandoned, did-not-finish

I jinxed myself. I read the first 5 pages and thought I might actually like it after procrastinating over the decision of: to read, or not to read? I blame myself for attempting to as many have compared it to Jim Butcher's writing. Me and that dude do not get on. We are chalk and cheese.

The humour is unfunny, it's forced. The info-dump is off-putting, too much too fast. Dialogue-overload. Not enough description.

Atticus claims to be 2,100 or just 21 to humans. He lies to everyone but the humans....more

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Jan 11, 2013 Mihir rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Full review originally over at Fantasy Book Critic

ANALYSIS: Kevin Hearne first came on to my attention in the last quarter of 2010 when I read about Hounded and the Iron Druid Chronicles on a blog. After happening upon the book’s description and learning about the quick release schedule of the series, I was entranced and wanted to see if Hounded would stack up against the hype it had been receiving.

Hounded begins with a soliloquy by Atticus O’Sullivan who is actually a 2100-year-old Irish drui...more Full review originally over at Fantasy Book Critic

ANALYSIS: Kevin Hearne first came on to my attention in the last quarter of 2010 when I read about Hounded and the Iron Druid Chronicles on a blog. After happening upon the book’s description and learning about the quick release schedule of the series, I was entranced and wanted to see if Hounded would stack up against the hype it had been receiving.

Hounded begins with a soliloquy by Atticus O’Sullivan who is actually a 2100-year-old Irish druid, older than the world’s largest religion and apparently the last of his kind. His real name is Siodhachan O’Suileabhain, but for reasons revealed in the blurb, he chooses to modernize himself. He gives the reader his background history in a neat manner, while fending off an attack by five of the Fae. He also learns that this attack is orchestrated by Aenghus Og, the Celtic god of Love. He beats his attackers, but is put on alert by this event since he chose Arizona for its scarcity of Oak, Ash and Thorn, which are required for the Fae/Sidhe to cross over into our realm.

As Atticus contemplates their presence and the meaning of their attack, he’s interrupted by the appearance of Morrigan, the Irish War goddess and slayer of the chosen. She has been on friendly terms with Atticus since the origin of his feud, and warns him about dire omens and his impending death at the hands of Aenghus Og. The reasons for this particular feud are because Atticus, in his youth, stole the legendary sword Fragarach from Aenghus Og’s chosen champion. Atticus discusses his situation with Morrigan who inquires about his particular type of magic, which explains series’ title, and then extracts a promise from him without giving him a promise in return, leaving Atticus with a sense of foreboding.

Next, Atticus is visited by Flidais, the Celtic goddess of the hunt, who relates the same tale told by Morrigan, but with an alteration as to who else is coming. Here, there is a small but important info-dump which reveals the nature of Atticus’ lawyers Hauk (a werewolf) and Lief (a vampire). Atticus agrees to go on a hunt with Flidais and Oberon, an Irish wolfhound mentally bound to Atticus. Thus begins the events which fuel the tale that is Hounded.

Other subplots include a witch who requests Atticus’s apothecary skills in return for help/favour from her Coven, and the bartender Granuaile MacTiernan, who’s more than she appears to be.

Kevin Hearne’s writing is competent, led by skillful prose that adds to the book’s refreshing setting and protagonist. Atticus as the narrator particularly excels. Even though he’s the hero of the story, you can discern certain moral ambivalences from his actions since Atticus is a bit of a rogue when the situation demands it. For instance, Atticus relates his own versions of various historical moments, but these accounts seem a bit shady. Overall, Atticus is lovable and trustworthy, but he’s also the sort of chap you wouldn’t want as your enemy.

Humor is one of the major plus points in Hounded, with the dialogue/banter between Oberon and Atticus the highlight of the book. In particular, Oberon’s fascination with Genghis Khan, his love for Poodles and the ultimate allure of hunting, all of which increases the reader’s fun quotient.

Another promising front is the multitude of mythologies utilized in the book, which are reflective of the real world. The author’s use of mythology is very smartly executed, while providing enough of an explanation to satisfy the reader’s curiosity. Lastly, the pace of the book never lets up, with Atticus going from plot point to plot point with as few breaks as possible, thus creating a sense of urgency for the reader.

Negatively, the book has a bit of a PG-13 feel to it. For example, bad things occur, but the author has them wrapped up neatly to lessen their darkness. There is also quite a bit of info-dumping in the first fifty pages of the book, but since Hounded is the opening volume in a series, it was necessary for the author to lay out all this information for the reader. Plus, it was easy to overlook the info-dumping since it was presented in an entertaining manner through engaging character dialogue. Finally, urban fantasy stories tend to be predictable and Hounded does not differentiate much in that regard. It remains to be seen if Kevin Hearne will be able to deviate from the norm and give readers a more refreshing story throughout the rest of the series.

CONCLUSION: Despite a few deficiencies, Hounded is a very good debut which introduces a worthy and refreshing urban fantasy setting and a clever, yet morally dubious protagonist. I was especially amazed by how polished Kevin Hearne’s debut was and anxiously look forward to reading the remainder of the series ASAP!(less)

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Oct 08, 2012 Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal, read-in-2012, nook, mythology

It started off a little slow and clunky (my opinion), but after a few chapters things started clicking together. Really well.

Atticus is a 2000 plus year old Druid who makes his home in Arizona. Other than running an occult shop (and occasionally selling fake weed to stoners), he has generally tried to lay low to avoid a powerful enemy who has been after him for over a millenium. Because he stole the guy's sword. A bad ass sword. Evidently, the Celtic god of love isn't very lovable. In fact, he's...more

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May 20, 2011 Laura Lulu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gods-mythology-folklore, urban-fantasy, male-pov, fae, magic

I really liked this one. Probably closer to a 3.5 star, but when a book has an Irish wolfhound quoting Eric Cartman, I'll throw him a bone with 4 stars. It was a light, fun read with great characters, fast paced action and much comic relief. I found myself snickering many a time while reading.

Atticus is a really likable character who is easy to root for. Sometimes his comments were just a bit too trendy to be coming from a 2100 year old druid, but they were usually funny, nonetheless. And Atticu...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let me preface this by saying that I am a a big fan of paranormal romance, so the idea of reading a book with no romance was not initially appealing to me. However, the lovely Gigi at DDLF (www.ddlf.net) our paranormal romance and urban fantasy website site set the Iron Druid books as one of our August challenges.

And let me tell you I am glad that she did. This book is smart and very very funny.

The book is about Atticus a 2000 year old druid and his dog Oberon and their fight against some old I...more Let me preface this by saying that I am a a big fan of paranormal romance, so the idea of reading a book with no romance was not initially appealing to me. However, the lovely Gigi at DDLF (www.ddlf.net) our paranormal romance and urban fantasy website site set the Iron Druid books as one of our August challenges.

And let me tell you I am glad that she did. This book is smart and very very funny.

The book is about Atticus a 2000 year old druid and his dog Oberon and their fight against some old Irish Gods. It doesn't sound particularly exciting I know, but the beauty of this book is the cleverness of the writing. Atticus is super snarky and his relationship with Oberon (a french poodle and sausage obsessed grey wolfhound) is endearing and amusing.

The beginning of the book can be a bit confusing and there are lots of references to mythology that people may not be familiar with. However, these references aren't integral to the plot and you can easily ignore them (or google them).

The book contains lots of snarky references to popular culture which are really funny, my two favourite being:

"Pillow talk in the modern era often involves the sharing of childhood stories or perhaps an exchange of dream vacations. One of my recent partners, a lovely lass named Jesse with a tattoo of a Tinker Bell on her right shoulder blade, had wanted to discuss a science-fiction television program, Battlestar Galactica, as a political allegory for the Bush years. When I confessed I had no knowledge of the show nor any interest in getting to know it or anything about American politics, she called me a “frakkin’ Cylon” and stormed out of the house, leaving me confused yet somewhat relieved."

"What sealed the deal for me was that the cloak wouldn’t come off without a generous donation of my tears. Those used to be almost impossible for me to summon, I admit, until I watched Field of Dreams. When Kevin Costner asks his dad at the end if he’d like to have a catch, I just completely lose my shit. Any guy who doesn’t is either in mixed company when he sees it or was blessed with an unusually sensitive father."

There are three books out currently, the fourth Tricked, is released in April 2012.

If you want a clever read which will make you laugh out loud then this book is definitely for you. Go out and frakking read it people.(less)

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Jun 27, 2011 Danny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, imm-june-2011

Awesomnetastic! There are several reasons why I absolutely love this series and why I can't wait for the next and the next ... 6 books are contracted and I hope there will be more..

First of all, the humor and the voice of Atticus is phenomenal and hilarious! I was listen to the audio (which is equally fantastic) and found myself laughing out lout so so often. Definitely not save for work since people will look very strange at you when they find you laughing so loud and constantly smiling.

Secon...more

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May 17, 2012 Gavin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

It did exactly what it said on the tin, y'know?

It's an urban fantasy book about a 2100 year-old Druid (who is inexplicably far more interested in Star Wars and other "Geek Culture" minutiae than a two-millennium-old person would be), written in the first person perspective of a snarky dude trammeled by a narrative that sort of follows a three act structure, which leads inexorably towards a confrontation with his nemesis in which he is pushed beyond his physical limits to Win the Day.

The thing th...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Nikki Finn is currently reading it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

Tohle si moc chci přečíst, jak mě to zklame, tak se fakt naseru!

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Sep 09, 2012 Carly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: folklore, fantasy, fantastic-elements, urban-fantasy, real-world-with-magic

Not only is Hounded and incredibly entertaining fusion of Celtic myth and present-day American culture, but I absolutely adore the story's lighthearted exuberance. From the moment I saw the dedication page ("Look, Mom, I made this! Can we put it on the fridge?"), I knew this book was going to be fantastic. Hearne gives a pronunciation guide, but notes that "readers are free to pronounce the book however they see fit. It's supposed to be a good time, so I do not wish to steal anyone's marshmallow...more Not only is Hounded and incredibly entertaining fusion of Celtic myth and present-day American culture, but I absolutely adore the story's lighthearted exuberance. From the moment I saw the dedication page ("Look, Mom, I made this! Can we put it on the fridge?"), I knew this book was going to be fantastic. Hearne gives a pronunciation guide, but notes that "readers are free to pronounce the book however they see fit. It's supposed to be a good time, so I do not wish to steal anyone's marshmallows by telling them they're 'saying it wrong'." Hearne so clearly has an awesomely down-to-earth attitude about writing that I knew, before I even hit chapter one, that I was going to love this book.

Not only have the Celtic gods come to life, they're apparently all visiting Arizona. Atticus O'Sullivan is a 2100-year old druid who has spent the last few thousand years on the run. Thousands of years ago, he stole a magic sword from Aengus Og, one of the Tuatha de Danann and the son of the Dagda, and he's been in flight mode ever since. But it looks like his running days are over. As Atticus discovers, apparently Tir na nOg got hooked up to the internet, and even if the Dagda's all-seeing eye cannot find you, a Google search will. So now the Morrigan has come to croak out dire words of prophecy, Aengus Og is willing to bring in every force to bear from the local police to the Fir Bolg, and, if that weren't enough, a local witch coven has Atticus embroiled in yet another debacle. Even with the help of his lawyers (they're vampires and werewolves) and his loyal dog Oberon, it's going to take a lot to get Atticus out of this mess.

I positively loved this book, even though the protagonist is very different from my normal reading fare. It was just way too entertaining to watch all of the Tuatha de Danann start running around Arizona, eating milkshakes, scaring off customers, and being totally bewildered by plugs. When I was a lot younger, I used to read a lot of ancient legends, including the Celtic myths. Because of this, it was incredibly amusing to see the casual mentions of various gods, from the Morrigan to the Fir Bolgs to the Formorians to Bres the Beautiful. Even better, Hearne uses an actual legendary sword, Fragarach, as the part of the basis of the plotline. Hearne clearly did the research, and although the name-dropping might be irritating if you aren't familiar with the Tuatha de Danann, if you have even my limited knowledge, it's tons of fun. He has a fantastic ability to keep within the old stories while still adding personality to the De Danann, combined with a ruthless willingness to change the present circumstances of these mythological figures.

When I started reading mythology, I probably had some initial belief it was highbrow, but I quickly discovered that myths, especially the Irish Celtic ones, are astonishingly immature, crass, and bawdy. So although Atticus might not be my type of protagonist, he's very much in the tradition of the original Celtic mythos. Personally, I like my protagonists more in the "tarnished knight" style immortalized by Raymond Chandler. Instead, I found Atticus the be quite cavalier about killing and death and surprisingly unconcerned about potential danger to his friends and allies.(view spoiler) When he's finished sticking a sword in someone, he's more likely to be worrying about where to hide the body rather than dwelling on any guilt or regret. But it's hard to judge Atticus because this attitude is so well in tune with the old Celtic myths. Ebullience, violence, and a generally teenage mentality is what they are all about. After all, they have the only mythology I know of which has an entire story surrounding the the gorging and subsequent bowel movements of the head god. I did ask myself how Atticus has managed to live over two thousand years without actually growing up, but again, this is in line with the immortal Tuatha De.

I really enjoyed Atticus' narration style. It was very interesting to have a narrator who is already incredibly powerful; usually urban fantasy characters start out as small fry and gain their power as the series proceeds. This impossibly ancient, impossibly experienced, and yet quite immature narrator felt similar to Gaiman's American Gods, although with a much less cynical tone. Atticus's incredible powers made it a little difficult to build up much suspense, and the actual action scenes of the book are short and sporadic. A lot of the time is necessarily Atticus waiting for Aengus to send the next wave of attacks against him. I actually enjoyed the slower pace, as well as the interactions (through a psychic link) between Atticus and his dog. The overall tone felt similar to the Nightside series, and if you enjoyed those, you'll definitely love Hounded.

Overall, this is a totally original and entertaining addition to the urban fantasy genre. It will especially appeal to anyone with a little past knowledge of the Celtic myths. I was absolutely ecstatic to see the old Celtic gods come to life. The only thing that could possibly have made this better is if Hearne had included some of the (constantly overlooked but totally awesome) Welsh patheon. Well, enough for now...I'm off to get hold of the next in the series!

Note: I received this as an e-book from the publisher, Random House Publishing Group, via NetGalley.(less)

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Oct 13, 2011 Isamlq rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who likes good clever UF

Recommended to Isamlq by: Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity

I shall gush now:

CLEVER: It’s an excellent mix of myths of old and action PLUS all of those involved are positively hilarious. Atticus runs a bookstore/new age shop. But is really a druid in hiding. The people around him too are special and by “people” I mean gods, goddesses, witches, werewolves, and throw in vampire as well. On one hand Atticus is trying to keep a low profile, but on the other, he is being hunted by a certain someone. This someone has cops, witches and demons to do his bidding...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Bridget rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Way to go Kevin Hearne! This was a really fun read. I love the concept of a 2100 year old Druid living in Arizona fighting off a really jerky Celtic god of love with his faithful Irish Wolfhound Oberon (who is good comic relief). Most of these type of stories go off the rails (See Karen Moning) by bringing in lame love interests into the stories or having the hero do the stupidest things that make you want to yell at them 'Why are you doing that?!" But Atticus, the main protagonist here, was jus...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Min rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gift

This book was great! It had a bit of everything in it: a druid, a fantastic wolfhound, werewolves, a vampire, witches, Celtic gods, some demons, and a sassy elderly Irish woman. I was a bit worried that the spectrum of non-humans would be a bit messy and possibly overwhelm the story (or even just muddle it so that it didn't flow well). To my great delight, it all came together - and came together very well. I did not want to put this down and, sadly, it went too quickly for me. I am very much lo...more

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Sep 10, 2011 J.M. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: urban fantasy fans, Harry Dresden fans

Shelves: fantasy, urban-fantasy

When I first finished Kevin Hearne's HOUNDED I thought "Three stars...no, three-and-a-half...."

An hour later, I found myself still thinking about the main character, Atticus O'Sullivan, and his wolfhound, Oberon, and just how much I really enjoyed spending time with them; quite a bit more than I ever did with Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden, in fact. Atticus is just a downright likeable, noble guy with a less wry, sarcastic sense of humor than Dresden (which really started grating on me and was the...more

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Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1)

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